In the SHADOW of the RIVER, by Ann H. Gabhart, 2023, Revell (Baker Publishing Group)

In the shadow of the river, the mystery of Jacci’s life plays out.

The mystery of Jacci Reed’s life plays out in the shadow of the river. Who is she, and where did she come from? Her true identity is really a mystery, to be revealed gradually in the shadow of the river.

Gabe Kingston becomes her protector from the first time they meet, under scary circumstances, when he is 13 and she’s one brave five-year-old.

I love this intriguing tale set in the late 1800s on the rivers of southern states. Before the time of roads and automobiles, paddlewheel boats transported people and goods and even entertainment from one town to another along rivers and tributaries.

Families, such as they were, worked and lived on these boats. Not a fancy life, though in some respects romantic and adventurous.

Characters come to life in the shadow of the river.

Ann Gabhart brings characters alive so readers can experience riverboat life and its dangers and joys in the shadow of the river. Not everyone is cut out for such a lifestyle, unmoored from a land address. But the people running the boats become family, some for the season, others for a lifetime. And you know how families are. Some members likeable, some not always, and some with a mysterious past. Who to trust?

As in previous books by Ann Gabhart, she excels in writing characters and setting, and intriguing plots keep you reading. I find the pacing comfortable, easy to follow, and not confusing. In the dark shadows, characters find strength in turning to God and trusting their lives to Him.

Thanks to Revell for sending me this beautiful paperback for my honest review.

Learn more about Ann Gabhart and her writing at www.annhgabhart.com.

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One more link; click on this one to see what your reader friends on Goodreads say: Pearl Fredericksen’s review of In the Shadow of the River | Goodreads